Droid Life » Honeycombhttp://www.droid-life.com
An intense Android news community bringing you the latest in phones, rooting, apps, and reviews.Tue, 31 Mar 2015 20:15:25 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Android Distribution Updated for January 2015 – Kit Kat Jumps to 39%http://www.droid-life.com/2015/01/07/android-distribution-updated-for-january-2015-kit-kat-jumps-to-39/
http://www.droid-life.com/2015/01/07/android-distribution-updated-for-january-2015-kit-kat-jumps-to-39/#commentsWed, 07 Jan 2015 16:46:37 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=158963Android Distribution Updated for January 2015 – Kit Kat Jumps to 39% is a post from: Droid Life
]]>The Android platform distribution were updated this morning for the first time in 2015 with Kit Kat (Android 4.4) showing a nice jump from 33.9% in the previous month to 39.1%. The rest of the versions of Android all dropped, just like they have been for months. Jelly Bean is down to 46% (from 48.7%), Ice Cream Sandwich to 6.7%, and Gingerbread to 7.8%.

Lollipop (Android 5.0) has still not made its debut in the monthly numbers. Hard to tell if that’s because it is on so few devices or if Google doesn’t want it to be factored in yet.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2015/01/07/android-distribution-updated-for-january-2015-kit-kat-jumps-to-39/feed/25Monday Poll: Which version of Android is your phone running?http://www.droid-life.com/2014/12/15/monday-poll-which-version-of-android-is-your-phone-running/
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/12/15/monday-poll-which-version-of-android-is-your-phone-running/#commentsTue, 16 Dec 2014 00:09:13 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=157302Monday Poll: Which version of Android is your phone running? is a post from: Droid Life
]]>We know that not everyone here owns a Nexus device or new Moto X and has been basking in the beauty of Android 5.0 “Lollipop” for a couple of weeks. And since that is the case, that means that a lot of you are probably running Kit Kat or maybe even Jelly Bean (hopefully, nothing older). But, because this is Droid Life and we like to find out for sure through polls, we are going to do that now with a simple question of, “Which version of Android is your phone running?”

As the numbers roll in, it should be interesting to see how an Android community compares to Google’s official distribution numbers. On December 1, Google updated the numbers, showing KitKat at 33.9%, Jelly Bean at 48.7%, Ice Cream Sandwich at 7.8%, and Gingerbread at 9.1%. I would venture to guess that these will be much different. Still, let’s see!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2014/12/15/monday-poll-which-version-of-android-is-your-phone-running/feed/180Android Distribution Updated for August 2014 – Kit Kat Jumps to 20%http://www.droid-life.com/2014/08/12/android-distribution-update-for-august-2014-kitkat-jumps-to-20/
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/08/12/android-distribution-update-for-august-2014-kitkat-jumps-to-20/#commentsTue, 12 Aug 2014 22:30:21 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=147619Android Distribution Updated for August 2014 – Kit Kat Jumps to 20% is a post from: Droid Life
]]>Google updated its Android distribution numbers this afternoon, showing a jump for Kit Kat from 17.9% in July to over 20% (20.9%) in August. While Kit Kat has climbed, the numbers show devices running Jelly Bean (54.2%) and Ice Cream Sandwich (10.6%) on the decline. Those running Gingerbread and Froyo haven’t moved much. Actually Android 2.3 saw a slight jump to 13.6% from 13.5%, which is odd.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2014/08/12/android-distribution-update-for-august-2014-kitkat-jumps-to-20/feed/45Android Distribution Updated for June 2014 – Kit Kat Jumps to Almost 14%http://www.droid-life.com/2014/06/04/android-distribution-updated-for-june-2014-kit-kat-jumps-to-almost-14/
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/06/04/android-distribution-updated-for-june-2014-kit-kat-jumps-to-almost-14/#commentsWed, 04 Jun 2014 22:16:08 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=142208Android Distribution Updated for June 2014 – Kit Kat Jumps to Almost 14% is a post from: Droid Life
]]>Google updated their Android distribution numbers today, showing a big jump for Kit Kat (Android 4.4+) to 13.6%, up from the 8.5% we saw in May. Jelly Bean, on the other hand, saw a drop to 58.4% from 60.8%. The rest of the older Android builds fell as well, like Ice Cream Sandwich which now sits at 12.3%, Gingerbread at 14.9%, and Froyo at 0.8%.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2014/06/04/android-distribution-updated-for-june-2014-kit-kat-jumps-to-almost-14/feed/50Android Distribution Updated for April 2014 – Kit Kat Cracks 5%!http://www.droid-life.com/2014/04/01/android-distribution-update-for-april-2014-kit-kat-cracks-5/
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/04/01/android-distribution-update-for-april-2014-kit-kat-cracks-5/#commentsTue, 01 Apr 2014 23:41:08 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=136356Android Distribution Updated for April 2014 – Kit Kat Cracks 5%! is a post from: Droid Life
]]>The Android distribution numbers of been updated for the beginning of April, with Kit Kat (Android 4.4+) showing signs of growth. The newest version of Android now commands 5.3% of the pie, up from 2.5% last month. With that growth we are seeing a slight decline in Jelly Bean numbers to 61.4% from a flat 62.0%. In other words, the newest devices running the newest version of Android continue to run the newest version of Android.

Ice Cream Sandwich saw a decline to 14.3% (from 15.2%), as did Gingerbread (17.8% from 19.0%).

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2014/04/01/android-distribution-update-for-april-2014-kit-kat-cracks-5/feed/37Android Distribution Numbers Released for March – Kit Kat and Jelly Bean Slowly on the Risehttp://www.droid-life.com/2014/03/04/android-distribution-numbers-released-for-march-kit-kat-and-jelly-bean-slowly-on-the-rise/
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/03/04/android-distribution-numbers-released-for-march-kit-kat-and-jelly-bean-slowly-on-the-rise/#commentsTue, 04 Mar 2014 18:21:07 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=133758Android Distribution Numbers Released for March – Kit Kat and Jelly Bean Slowly on the Rise is a post from: Droid Life
]]>The Android team updated their platform distribution numbers for the month of March this morning, showing slight growth for both Jelly Bean (Android 4.1-4.3) and Kit Kat (Android 4.4+). Jelly Bean has now reached a flat 62.0% (from 60.7%), while Kit Kat is up to 2.5% (from 1.8%).

Ice Cream Sandwich dropped to 15.2% (from 16.1%), Honeycomb remains on the list with 0.1%, Gingerbread still commands a fifth of Android at 19.0% (from 20.0%), and Froyo still actually exists at 1.2% (from 1.3%).

Over the weekend, the Android team posted the latest round of data collection for their Android distribution chart. Last month we saw Jelly Bean finally creeping towards having a 50% share, a mark that seems to have taken forever to reach. This month, they did indeed crack the 50% mark, with 52.1% of Android devices now running Android 4.1+. Of course, this news comes a day after Google’s announcement of Kit Kat (Android 4.4), so while Jelly Bean adoption has risen, we’ll get to watch the slow incline of Kit Kat for the next two years.

Ice Cream Sandwich dropped to 19.8% from 20.6%, Gingerbread to 26.3% from 28.5%, and Froyo and Honeycomb are hanging on for dear life.

The Android team updated their OS distribution numbers for the beginning of May this afternoon, showing what appears to be a slight jump for Jelly Bean at 28.4%, which is up from the 25% it topped off at in the beginning of April. We’re seeing a decline in Ice Cream Sandwich’s piece of the pie, which is likely due to devices running Android 4.0+ jumping to Android 4.1+ over the last month. We have seen a number of Jelly Bean updates, after all.

Gingerbread dropped to 38.5%, Honeycomb is barely alive at 0.1%, Froyo dipped to 3.6%, and the rest of the numbers didn’t move for Eclair and Donut.

You can see April’s numbers here, if you’d like to compare. Keep in mind that this numbers are now built using data collected from each device when the user visits the Google Play Store

Hey, our least favorite time of the month – Android distribution numbers update! Over a 14-day period that ended on March 4, the Android team has come to the conclusion that 16.5% of Android users are now running Jelly Bean (Android 4.1+). The rest of the numbers look like this – Ice Cream Sandwich (28.6%), Honeycomb (1.2%), Gingerbread (44.2%), Froyo (7.6%), Eclair (1.9%), and Donut (0.2%).

Compared to last month, that’s a 2.9% increase for the newest version of Android. We’re also finally starting to see Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich shares take a bit of a hit after what seems like years. That means a couple of things – people are dropping Gingerbread devices and upgrading to new ones with newer versions of Android and that manufacturers are finally starting to update their phones.

And cue the Apple blogs with ridiculous titles about fragmentation.

Update: Google has tweaked a couple of the numbers. Froyo now sits at 7.5%, with Gingerbread 10 at 43.9%.

Within the hour, Google released new Android distribution numbers for the month of February. The numbers, as usual, aren’t anything to have your IRC troll group run to reddit with, but they do offer up a look at whether or not any Android OEMs have updated phones over the last month. As expected, there have been, so the numbers are changing in the slightest of ways.

Jelly Bean is up to 13.6% (from 10.2%), Ice Cream Sandwich actually dropped to 29.0% (from 29.1%), Honeycomb dropped to 1.3% (from 1.5%), and Gingerbread still leads all but is down to 45.6% (from 46.6%).

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2013/02/05/android-distribution-numbers-updated-for-february/feed/46Google’s New Patent Lets You Talk into Any End of the Phone You Wanthttp://www.droid-life.com/2012/08/14/googles-new-patent-lets-you-talk-into-any-end-of-the-phone-you-want/
http://www.droid-life.com/2012/08/14/googles-new-patent-lets-you-talk-into-any-end-of-the-phone-you-want/#commentsTue, 14 Aug 2012 17:10:51 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=79068Google’s New Patent Lets You Talk into Any End of the Phone You Want is a post from: Droid Life
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When Google launched Honeycomb, one of the selling points was that the action bar was always at the bottom of the tablet, where you needed it, no matter how you turned the device. With smartphone and tablet designs today looking pretty similar from any direction you look at it, telling which way is up might be a little difficult, but Google’s newest patent looks to help you with that problem.

The patent shows a phone with a microphone and speaker installed into each end of the device, and when the time comes to actually use your phone as a phone, the device will tell which end is up, and activate the speaker and microphone accordingly. It’s an interesting patent that could lead to even more interesting phone designs. Time will only tell though if Google actually puts the IP to any use.

For the past week I’ve been spending some quality time with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. While I like the hardware for the most part and I don’t mind TouchWiz, I’ve been struggling to find a place for the device in my life. While a large part of it is simply that I’m not entirely convinced that a tablet is the best form factor, I keep finding myself disappointed with the app selection and quality. There are some great apps available for Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich, but overall I’ve been disappointed time and time again.

Twitter

I use Twitter all the time, so having a great Twitter app is important to me. I’ve tried all the apps out there and the official Twitter app remains my favorite (mostly because TweetDeck has become abandonware). Unfortunately, the Twitter team hasn’t taken the time to make the Twitter app optimized for tablets, which leads to the hideous layout above. It’s usable (though very laggy), but I’ve been forced to switch between Tweetcaster, Plume, and Tweetcomb, all of which have issues. Perhaps the most maddening part of the situation is not that there are only three tablet optimized Twitter apps, but that Twitter has a tablet optimized version of their app for iOS.

Document Editing

Another major disappointment was Google Docs. The application has a great view for choosing documents, but once you get into typing up a document you’re better off scouring the Market for an actual attempt at a decent app. The Galaxy Tab comes with Quickoffice HD which offers much more functionality (including the option to sync with Google Docs, Dropbox, box, huddle, SugarSync, or mobileme), but lacks some key functionality like inserting a period after two spaces. It really is a shame that Google hasn’t done anything to make Google Docs a usable experience. Sure, there’s always the option to use the website, but I’d rather have a useful app.

Music

Apps like Google Music look great on Honeycomb/ICS, but apps like rdio and Google Listen are once again simply blown up apps. Google Listen is the definition of abandonware at this point, but apps like rdio deserve a tablet optimized version (especially since rdio has an app for iPad). Apps like Google Listen and rdio still function properly, but the experience is tolerable at best. Why Google didn’t just push Google Listen into Google Music is beyond me.

Browser

The stock browser offers decent functionality, but it’s again limited. The browser performed fine for simple sites like Droid-Life, but it had some seriously delay when loading heavier websites like The Verge. Opera had less issues, but Dolphin Browser HD had the best performance of the three. It’s a little disappointing to me that it took downloading a 3rd party browser for me to get a good experience, but I imagine things will improve for the stock browser when ICS is released for the Galaxy Tab.

Netflix

The Netflix app is a great example of the state of Android apps. The app works fine on the Galaxy Tab, though scrolling through a list of films is very jittery. Playing actual video in the app was great, but the experience of finding a movie to watch was sluggish. It felt like Netflix pushed the app out just to get it out without any intention of really optimizing the performance for browsing. It’s a minor issue, sure, but if I’m going to shell out four to five benjamins for a piece of hardware, I’d like to have some assurance that the apps available are high quality.

Gaming

Over the weekend I played a little Dead Space on a friend’s HTC Rezound. I enjoyed the experience, so I figured I’d buy the app to play on the Galaxy Tab. Unfortunately, there is no tablet version of Dead Space. I can’t even play the phone version. Many other games like Cut the Rope and Hex Defense are just blown up versions of the app, but there’s little reason to expect a tablet optimized version of those apps. Most games played fine, though many could have used some high resolution images so that they looked better when blown up to fit the Galaxy Tab’s screen.

We Still Need Better Apps

I understand that Honeycomb tablets have only been on shelves for eleven months, but I expected there to be better apps on the Market by now. I know the transition from one screen size to another takes time, but I think it’s clear that most developers simply don’t see the value in optimizing their apps to run on tablets. It makes sense; most tablet owners have an iPad, not an Android tablet. I get it, but that doesn’t make me happy about it. It makes it harder for me to recommend something like the Transformer Prime to clients and friends. Sure, it has a keyboard dock, but without a great market of apps it’s worse off than a $250 Windows netbook.

Google needs to start throwing some of their billions at app developers to ensure that major apps like Netflix have a buttery smooth, reliable, fun experience. Just as importantly, Google’s own apps should be optimized for tablets. Gmail looks and works great, but Google Docs is useless. That should never happen. Google’s apps should showcase what developers can do with Android. Google’s apps should number the best in the Market. Right now, many are among the worst available.

Ice Cream Sandwich was a great first step in making Android more usable on tablets, but Google has to know how important apps are in this space. There is no excuse for the official Twitter app to not be optimized for HC/ICS, much less for Google Docs to offer such limited functionality. If Google really wants to compete with Apple, that means we need better apps now.

Just wanted to point out that this post was finished on Friday night and sure enough, news broke this morning that Eric Schmidt expects there to be a Nexus tablet in 2012.

HP is currently the number two seller of tablets, though most expect Amazon to usurp them in that position (we’ll never know for sure because Amazon doesn’t release sales numbers). HP didn’t become number two (or even number one plus) because people went out in droves to buy the TouchPad for $499 or even $399. HP became number two because they sold the TouchPad for $99 and $149. Amazon is going to do the exact same thing at a $200 price point.

Over the past few weeks there have been severalarticlesthatargued that Amazon’s Kindle Fire is aiming to take out Android tablets, not the iPad. Amazon is obviously trying to beef up their market share by attracting people with a cheap tablet – they made a $200 tablet in every sense of the phrase. Amazon’s goal was never to take on the iPad. To try and take out the iPad would take a tremendous effort and a premium product. Amazon’s goal was to sell a lot of cheap tablets with minimal effort, which they did. The whole point of a product that you sell at a loss is either to get rid of inventory or to make up sales through services purchased; Amazon is doing the latter. While Amazon’s efforts certainly won’t disrupt Apple’s plans, they could hurt Google.

Apple sells a premium product, not a bargain product. Google is trying to do the same thing, but so far tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Motorola Xoom haven’t fared as well in sales (Motorola and Samsung make up less than 3% of the market by Gruber’s estimates). It’s possible that products like the ASUS Transformer Prime will gain some traction, but it remains to be seen if any Android tablet can gain significant market share. Even combined, Android tablets are insignificant in market share compared to the iPad.

I’m convinced that Google needs to do three things to gain market share in the tablet space: make a halo product, advertise it, and sell it for cheaper than the iPad.

Right now the best Android tablet on the market (or at least soon to be on the market) is the ASUS Transformer Prime. The thing that sets the Prime apart from others in my mind isn’t the gaming or the support for a wireless controller or the gorgeous display, but rather the dock. The keyboard dock sets the Prime apart because it transforms the Prime (see what I did there?) into a legitimate productivity device. With Ice Cream Sandwich it will only get better. Google needs to partner with a company like ASUS and make a Nexus tablet. For all intents and purposes the Prime is the Nexus tablet (does anyone think the Prime name was an accident?), but having an excellent product isn’t enough.

Over the last year Apple has increased spending on advertisement from $691 million to $933 million. In the meantime, Google hasn’t run one advertisement about Android tablets. People know about Android phones because the carriers have flooded their stores with dozens of models, but tablets haven’t caught on. Even if people don’t own an Android phone, they’ve seen the commercials or one of their friends uses one. There’s no way to really tell why Android tablets haven’t caught on in the market (much like many journalists are unsure of why Windows Phone still has insanely small market share), but there’s no doubt in my mind that advertisements showing off what these devices can do would help increase awareness if not actual sales.

For a long time everyone called all smartphones Blackberries. That eventually shifted to iPhones, but now people know the term smartphone (though many still think all Android phones are Droids…). I think most people still call tablets in general iPads (though I’ve heard some people reference the Galaxy Tab), and with that comes the assumption that the iPad is the only real option. I’ve seen a lot of people walk through a Best Buy and look at Android tablets, but I haven’t seen very many walk out with one. i think part of that is because they’re not sure how to really use one. If people started seeing advertisements for a tablet with people using them, however, that might make people more interested. If people saw how tablets like the Transformer Prime can replace their netbook or how the Galaxy Tab 7 Plus can replace their reading device, they might be more inclined to walk out the door with an Android tablet. I’d prefer Google advertise one halo device, but a good commercial showing off the options that their parters offer could help spur on sales for tablets already in the market.

I think Google has done a good job in the past of trying to make technology feel human. Their advertising team sees how their products can help people connect in a way that wasn’t possible before. Android 4.0 is much more human, and Google should be showing that with advertisements for their tablets. They have the specs and now they have the software, but they need the propaganda. People need to know how good Android tablets are before they will buy them. Google has placed the propaganda burden on the manufacturers, but I think its time they stepped up and did it themselves.

I think the final step for Google will be to sell a tablet at a $300 to $400 price. This would place the tablet in between the iPad and the Fire in price, but Google could advertise it as better than both. It’s the same argument that Microsoft has made with Windows forever. Microsoft argued that you could get a Windows machine for much less than a Mac. Sure, there’s always been the option for a cheaper system by buying the parts yourself and running Linux, but it doesn’t offer the same experience as a Windows PC. I think the same argument could work for Google. Google has the money to spend on both advertising and on making a product that they could sell for significantly cheaper.

If Google really wants to compete with Apple (and I think they do), then they need to step up their game. It’s not enough to partner with Motorola and make a tablet that is bound to a carrier and is overpriced. They should have known from the start that most people aren’t buying tablets from a carrier, they’re buying the WiFi-only version. It’s also not enough to simply rely on the manufacturers to make good products and advertise them well. That plan is obviously not working. It’s time for Google to step up and put themselves in the game with a product of their own. Some worry that if Google starts to do this they’ll push manufacturers to Microsoft. I don’t think that will happen. People don’t want a Windows tablet – they never have. People want a light, fun, productive experience. Android can offer a better product than Amazon and Apple, but at a better price.

Google has the power to really shift the market for the better. When they first release Android 4.0 I hoped that we would see a new Google. So far I haven’t seen that, but I hope that Google will step up and make a product themselves. I’m tired of seeing manufacturers fumble around with Android. I’m tired of seeing carriers tie down devices to their networks. It is time for Google to step up and take control of the tablet space with Android 4.0.

Logitech Revue owners may have a hard time believing this, but according to Logitech’s blog, the Honeycomb update will roll out to units starting this week. After what seems like almost a year of waiting, everyone with some sort of Google TV product will finally have the Android Market, apps, and a completely new experience on a product that got off to a pretty rocky start.

There doesn’t appear to be a way to force the update, but you can check as many times as you’d like in your Settings panel.

To see an overview of what you can expect with this update, check out this highlight post. Then be sure to check out our hands-on walk-through of it here.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2011/12/07/logitech-revue-honeycomb-update-rolling-out-this-week/feed/60Wednesday Poll: Is an Android Tablet Still a Part of Your Future?http://www.droid-life.com/2011/11/30/wednesday-poll-is-an-android-tablet-still-a-part-of-your-future/
http://www.droid-life.com/2011/11/30/wednesday-poll-is-an-android-tablet-still-a-part-of-your-future/#commentsWed, 30 Nov 2011 22:35:23 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=54428Wednesday Poll: Is an Android Tablet Still a Part of Your Future? is a post from: Droid Life
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It has been about a year since we saw the first major player in the Android game, the original Samsung Galaxy Tab. That particular slate kicked off the release of the Froyo tablet era followed by the barrage of Honeycomb entries in mid-2011. The world was supposed to gobble up Android tablets by the millions, overtaking the iPad on the way. Well, we all know now that that did not happen. After reading sad story after sad story of Honeycomb tablet disappointments, we are wondering now what the future of the Android tablet game looks like. Ice Cream Sandwich could breathe new life into a platform that struggled throughout much of 2011, but we won’t know until it finally arrives.

Are you still interested in them? Did you go with an iPad instead? Have you ruled out the purchase of one altogether? Will the next batch powered by quad-core processors entice you? Be sure to weigh in through the poll and with your thoughts in the comments.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.